Smart Money

AFR Market Wrap

Pepped up

Markets: ASX boosted

Commodities: Oil slips

Resources: Atlas Iron rising

Mumford: Fed must be flexible

Watch out for dead-cat bounce

After recording their largest declines last year, commodities markets are set for further weakness over the first half of 2009, writes Stephen Wyatt.

Mergers slow to snail's pace

Mergers and acquisitions activity is set for a sluggish start to '09 after five years of continuous growth, reports Patrick Durkin.

Banks seek exit plan for guarantee

Banks have urged the federal government to explain its exit strategy for the guarantee on bank deposits, reports Matthew Drummond.

Survivors emerge from the rubble

Last year wasn't pretty for any stockmarket in Asia, but it was especially brutal for Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average, reports Katrina Nicholas.

Don't buy into a disastrous trade war

'Buy America' may sound like a pretty innocuous call to arms, but it's one of the scariest lines I've heard in a long time, writes Glenn Mumford.

Anthony Hughes: Downtown

EXCLUSIVE FROM NEW YORK What's more ridiculous? Kudos for bank CEO's forgoing bonuses or outrage over how bail-out money is being spent.